Invitation Maven

Bat Mitzvah Invitation: Traditional vs. Contemporary Challenge

I just had my first meeting with Leslie and her daughter Paige to start designing Paige’s bat mitzvah invitation. Most of my clients are either observant and want a traditional bat mitzvah invitation, or are more secular and want the invitation to reflect the theme of the party. Well Leslie and Paige want both. This is an interesting challenge, and is one that I relish.

When guests open their envelopes, the invitation that’s inside sets the tone for the entire event. That’s why it’s important to design an invitation that will not only make the guest want to attend that bat mitzvah, but excites my client as well. I love pulling in traditional elements of Judaism into the bar and bat mitzvah invitations I design, but it’s also fun to reflect my client’s personal style.

What Paige and Leslie want is an elegant traditional invitation, but with touches of their Academy Awards themed party. They have a strong sense of tradition, so we’ll pull in Paige’s hebrew name. But they also are full of life and excitement, so a combination of suede paper and metallic cardstock will address their sense of flair and elegance.

The colors of the party (red, black, and gold) are a wonderful combination because they will give the invitation a contemporary feeling and will tie the party in to the invitation without making the invitation solely about the party.

We’re using a rich red suede paper to reflect the Red Carpet excitement of the Academy Awards, and both metallic black and gold cardstocks to highlight the elegance and gold-star qualities of the bat mitzvah girl. This is going to be the perfect start to an Academy Awards night!

I can’t wait to sit down and design this invitation. I’ll keep you posted on how it turns out!